Hitler Looks For Friends

Fear of Being Alone

During the 1930s, Hitler was very concerned about taking on all the other major European powers by himself. He began looking for support from other countries that shared similar visions of greatness. One of the first agreements he was able to develop was with Spain, and its new dictator, Francisco Franco. The German military had secretly helped Franco achieve power in Spain during a messy civil war in the early 1930s. Germany had benefited by gaining valuable military experience and testing new weapons during the conflict. Now that the civil war was over, it seemed natural that the two countries should join forces in an alliance. Yet, Hitler was unable to convince Franco to commit to a future military role in Europe.

A possibility for an alliance with Italy emerged in the late 1930s. A new dictator had taken power named Benito Mussolini. Mussolini shared similar views on expansion and greatness for Italy. Friendship between the two men led to the formation of the Rome-Berlin Axis. This alliance was to become very close during the upcoming world war.

Contacts also were made with the military government of Japan during the late 1930s. Although Germany and Japan did not have a lot in common, negotiations did lead to a military agreement in 1940. Hitler was not particularly interested in the goals of the Japanese, but he hoped they would keep the British and Americans occupied on the other side of the world. Later, Italy was added to the alliance to create the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis. These nations were to become the major enemies of the Allies during the Second World War.